This past Sunday was daylight saving time, which meant some people were late to church on Sunday morning. However, it also meant an increase in car accidents. “It turns out Monday after daylight saving time is one of the deadliest days on the road,” said Sam Schwartz, a former New York City transportation commissioner. According to a study that analyzed 10 years of data, there was a 17% increase in traffic fatalities on the Monday after clocks spring forward. Why? “Researchers believe it has to do with the fact that many people just don’t get a good night’s sleep the first night of daylight saving time, and it takes about a week to get acclimated,” Schwartz said. According to Schwartz,
Don’t wait to file for bankruptcy If you’re behind on your bills and in deep debt, you shouldn’t wait to file for bankruptcy. Many times, clients won’t file for bankruptcy until they discuss their situation with a family member or friend, who often times tells them not to file for bankruptcy and gives them tips on how to get out of the situation. Those same clients typically end up failing to work out their financial issues and fall deeper and deeper into debt and lose more than they would’ve lost if they just originally filed for bankruptcy. Are you behind on your car payment? A bankruptcy can help you get out of debt while keeping your car. But if you
Have you been hurt in a road accident that wasn’t your fault? Video Transcript Hello I’m Darrell Castle, an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and I’m going to be doing a series on auto accidents and what to do after you’ve had an auto accident. So it is important to understand that here in my jurisdiction of Memphis, Tennessee, we have a reputation for aggressive driving – we have a reputation for being a high-accident area. It’s very important to know what to do if you’ve been injured in an auto accident. The first thing you need to do is get the medical attention that you need. If an ambiance is offered to you and
By: Darrell Castle I see a lot of people asking questions about Tennessee driving laws in regards to cell phone use. And I don’t really like that. It’s important for drivers to be knowledgeable of ALL driving laws BEFORE they get on the road. But especially driving laws regarding cell phones. And that’s true for two reasons. (To learn everything you need to know about auto accident injuries and the legal system, download my FREE report — Car Accident Law 101 — from my website today!) 1. You may be breaking the law and don’t even know it. 2. You may be risking your life and other’s. So, if you’re someone who isn’t sure exactly what the law
Living in Memphis, I’ve found that driving in the fog is a part of life, especially early in the morning. And as a car accident lawyer, I also know how dangerous it can be. Here are a few ways to stay safe when you have to commute on a foggy day: 1. Slow down. Go as slowly as you need to in order to see the road ahead. Any car behind you can get over it. Remember, they’re not the ones having to see into the distance — they’re often trusting your lights to guide them. 2. Use your low-beam headlights. If you set your lights as bright as you can, the light can actually reflect off the fog and
There have been too many reports in Memphis recently of car accidents involving children. Keep your children safe out there, folks – it’s your responsibility. Video Transcript Hello, this is Darrell Castle. I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and on this video, I’m talking about safety – safety in cars primarily involving children. You know we have laws in this state – in the state of Tennessee – to protect children. Laws that require you to put children in seat belts and proper safety devices. To put them in car seats – approved car seats. And those are laws designed to protect children who are not able to protect themselves. They’re too small to
Recently a bill about driving with your dog sailed through the TN House of Representatives, but then stalled in a Senate committee. The bill would make it illegal to drive with a dog on your lap or in between the driver and the driver’s door. Labeling driving with a lap dog a misdemeanor, the bill would punish offenders with up to $50 in fines and up to 30 days in jail. Opponents of the bill argue that it doesn’t solve the problem it claims to address: that drivers with dogs in their laps may drive recklessly. No studies have determined that lap dogs cause more accidents in Tennessee than driving without a dog. Owners of small, well-behaved dogs, critics argue,
It’s no secret drug prices in the US are astronomically high. One pill can cost hundreds of dollars. Recently, some of these drug companies have come under fire for drastically increasing their prices. The industry often claims these high costs are necessary to help cover the expense of developing new drugs. Development costs around $2.6 billion per drug, so that’s understandable. Except for one small problem: some of the most expensive drugs were developed decades ago, even over a century in some cases. Take EpiPen. Drugmaker Mylan has faced criticism for raising the price 500% to $300/dose. But the key ingredient is epinephrine, which is a human hormone first isolated for medicinal purposes in 1900. It costs $4.50 on the open market
(This blog post is part of our effort to support the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign. If you’ve been injured by a drunk driver, please contact our Memphis car accident attorneys online today or at 901-327-1212 to discuss your case for free.) Every year in Tennessee, drunk driving causes one third of the deaths on the road and thousands of injuries. Who pays for the hospital bills, physical therapy, and long-term recovery? Who covers the cost of police investigation and the autopsy reports? Actually, you do. As a Memphis car accident lawyer, I see it all the time: not only are drunk drivers extremely dangerous, they’re also often uninsured. DUI is a common repeat offense: the driver has already been pulled over
Every year in Tennessee, drunk driving kills hundreds of people, and these numbers tend to intensify around the holiday season. As a result, law enforcement becomes more watchful from November to early January. This year, Tennessee signed up as one of two states trying out the “More cops. More stops” campaign over Thanksgiving weekend. In addition, this year the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to stress how driving “tipsy” or “buzzed” can be extremely dangerous, too – even if you’re not technically driving with an illegal blood alcohol content (BAC). One too many beers can mean life or death: hundreds of fatalities occur in Tennessee every year through accidents involving a BAC much lower than the general limit